Gauging device



Feb. 14, 1950 w. F. ALLER 2,497,199

' GAUGING DEVICE Filed Nov. 1, 1943 55 I i 52 59 O r z L 2/ 4 y 4 A; 57

U U V Fig 10 6/ 2 VENTOR 24 J 41% ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 14, 1950 GAUGING DEVICE Willis Fay Aller, Dayton,

Sheflield. Corporation, Dayton,

ration of Ohio Ohio, assignor to The Ohio, acorpo- Application November 1, 1943,"Serial No. 508,559

This invention relates to thread gauges.

One object of the invention is the provision of a gauge for measuring or comparing the pitch diameter of a threaded workpiece, and having work holding means for centering the workpiece to insure an exact perpendicular relation between the workpiece axis and the direction of movement of a work operated member the indicating mechanism. I

Another object is the provision of a thread gauge having work carrying arms providing centers which hold the workpiece so that its axis is in a definite predetermined exact position, enabling the pitch diameter of the thread to be gauged between two anvils, with a single wire arranged on each of the anvils.

Another object is the provision of a thread gauge of the character mentioned, in which the work is centered by two arms that are relatively fixed against pivotal movement on a common carrying shaft which is axially movable in a bearing having a definite fixed axis insuring an accurate predetermined position of the work axis.

Another object is the provision of a thread gauge'incorporating a base and a relatively adjustable gauge unit, the base providing a support for a unitary attachment which provides a vertically movable lower work anvil and a pivot support for work holding arms.

Another object is the provision of a thread gauge having a gauge unit and a, base which not only supports the gauge unit but which also provides a support for a vertically movable lower work anvil that can be quickly moved upwardly to gauging position and downwardly to permit the application or removal of the work.

Another object is the provision of a thread gauge having relatively movable anvils, one of which operates an indicator the anvils having readily removable wire carriers each of which provides limited bodily movement of a single wire, the wire carriers having-down turned ears which overlie the ends of the wires to prevent more than a limited amount of longitudinal movement of the wires.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following. description, the appended claims and accompanying drawing.

in which: i i

Fig. 1 is the front elevation of a thread gauge embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the gauge, a por tion of the base and anvil being shown in central vertical section;

which moves 4 Claims. (01. 33-143) 1 tion with the indicator erably as an 2 Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the thread checking unit or gage attachment;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5 is a front and the Wire holders with relation to a threaded workpiece which is shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 6 is a view of the wire holders showing the wires in association with a threaded workpiece,

and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a wire holder.

Referring more particularl to the drawing, in which the same reference numerals have been applied to like parts in the several views, Ill designates the-base and H a column which projects upwardly from the base and forms the support for a vertically adjustable gauge unit H. The column ll'is provided with a vertical rack l3 engaged by a suitable pinion controlled by hand wheel I4 which is rotatably mounted on the gauge unit. A hand wheel l5 serves as a clamp, securing the indicator unit in any position to which it is adjusted on the column. The indicator unit may be of any suitable character, preferably providing visual indications on a scale that can be viewed through the opening IS, the indications being produced by the movements of a vertically operable plunger I1. I

The base 10 is provided with a seat or guide removable block 20- way is adapted to receive a forming an anvil member in which vertically movable work anvil 2|. guideway l9 may form nary flat top anvil which may be used in conjunc unit for checking sizes 01 objects placed directly between the is mounted a The seat or for checking the pitch diameter of a threaded part, the conventional anvil is removed and the anvil member 20 applied to the base Ill and held 22 the ends of which in the sides of this rigidly in place by screws block. a

Rigldly fixed at one end of the block 29, prefintegral part of the block, is an upstanding post 23 formed integrally with opposed guideways 24 and 25 in which the verticall ad.-

justable plate 26 is mounted. A clamp screw 21. threaded in guideway 25 and engaging an angular face on the slide 26 holds the latter in its adjusted position. This slide 26 carries a block- 25 which is connected to a vertically movable operatingmember 30, an abutment surface 3| engaging of the plunger l1, and having an anvil 32 adjaelevation of the work centers,

the support for an ordi-- plunger .l'l and the anvil, but when the gauge is to be used.

shown as a block havin the lower end.

:and the weight of the arms.

cent the work position. A pair of parallel flexible straight spring blades 33, each fixed at one end to the block 33 and at the other end to block "29, support the block so for yielding movement to a limited extent determined by the spacing between a projection 34 on block as and a notch '35 on the block 297 When the gauge unit [2 is moved on the column I i, a corresponding adjustment is given to the block 29 and the slide 26 on the post 23 which carries them. Thus the distance between the anvil 32 and the lower anvil 2| can be adjusted to accommodate threaded workpieces of difierent diameters.

The post is provided with a journal or "bearing 35, preferably formed integrally therewith so that the axis of the bearing 36 cannot be changed, this axis being arranged in a plane which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the plunger and the work supporting anvil. Siidably mounted in the journal or bearing is a shaft so that .the shaft can either rotate on its own axis or can move axially. A pair of arms and are provided on this shaft 38, the arm preferably being fixed to the shaft, while the arm 39 is slidably movable on the shaft to vary its distance from the arm 40. A thumb screw i l, threaded in the hub portion of arm 3%, be screwed against the shaft to hold the arm 39 properly spaced from the arm Lit, in accordance with the length of the n Work-piece to be checked, the latter being carried between a center 12 on the arm 39 and a center is in the arm to. The center $3 is spring pressed towards the left as viewed in Fig. '3 and is connected to the handle M, which the operator can pull to retract the center 43 and permit the workpiece to be conveniently mounted in place. When the operator releases the handle it the center moves endwise into engagement with the workpiece.

The two arms as and have extensions 3-13 and 47 respectively which project to the opposite :side of the shaft 38. A rod t8, parallel to and spaced from the shaft 33 is secured at one and in the extension 57, while the extension d has a :bore in which the rod 48 is slidably mounted. The rod thus serves to interconnect the two arms and 9 to prevent any relative angu lar turningof these arms-with respect to one another, while permitting the distance "between the two :arms to be readily adjusted. The rod '48 vand the extending portions t5 and :4! of the two arms also constitute a counterbalance to.

partially balance the weight of the workpiece As will be apparout, .the only pivotal movement of the arms to move the workpiece one that takes place about the center of the shaft 1'38, the bearmg of wlul'ch is definitely fixed with :respect to the base, so that the axis of the workpiece will be horizontal at all times, and at right angles to the direction of movement of the gauging plunger. Since the shaft 153, and thus the arms '89 and 58 are freely movable in the direction of the axis or the shaft 38, the workpiece may be readily moved in an axial direction so that any desired part of the workpiece can be checked or compared by comparing the indications produoed on the gauge unit with the indication given when a workpiece of standard or required size is placed in the gauge.

'Thecenter of the shaft 38 is preferably somewhat higher than the center of a workpiece of small diameter which is applied to the arms 39 and 46, but the distance between this center and the axis of the workpiece is such that a large range of workpiece diameters can be accommodated while maintaining the center of the workpiece above some portion of the fiat upper surface of the work supporting anvil 2!. It should also be noted that the post 23 is arranged adja-- cent the column H and at the opposite side of the workpiece from the operators position, to aiford clear vision, convenient access and com- ,pactness in arrangement.

The lower anvil 2!, as shown in Fig. 4, has a bearing member 50 slidably guided in a cylindrical opening 5: in the anvil block 26. 'A compression spring .52 yieldingly urges the anvil 2| upwardly to a predetermined definite position, indicated in Fig. 4. The anvil 2! has a transverse passage .55 providing a fiat surface 53 which engages a fiat surface on a rotatable rod 55 extending through the passage in the anvil. The rod 54 is of cylindrical form where it extends through the anvil block 29, the center ,of the rod, and thus the center of rotation, being indicated at .56, see Fig. 4. At its forward :end, the rod 54 is fastened to a hand lever 54'. The opposite end of the indie grooved and the groove is engaged by a locating screw 5? .in the anvil block, holding the rod against end-wise movement but permitting rotational movements. Where the rod extends through the opening 55, the rod has a curved portion '58 opposite the flat surface, :so that by .turning the rod thru about '13 from the position shown in Fig. 4 the anvil is cammed downwardly, bringing the curved portion 53 against the surface 53 ;on the anvil, the parts being held in this "position until the lever 54 is manually turned to release the anvil and permit the spring to force it upward-1y into gauging position. Asuitable stop definitely limits the upward travel of the anvil so that its gauging position will not change. In the construction shown this stop is provided by the flat su-rtace on the rod 5t although other suitable stop means may be provided for this purpose. By retracting the anvil, the space between anvil ,2! and the upper anvil 32 is increased, permitting the workpiece to be .convenientlyapplied between the centers 42 and The work is then rested on the lower anvil, moving bodily about theaxis of the shaft 38 as it does so. Then the operator turns the lever 51! so as to move the parts n o the position shown in Fig. 4, the lower anvil 2i rising to a definitely fixed gaugingposition.

The threaded workpiece is gauged with wires oflmown diameter, placed between the workpiece and the upper and lower anvils 32 and 2i respectively. Since the workpiece axis is definitelyheldin a predetermined fixed attitude, only two wires need be used, one'between the workpiece and the upper anvil and the other between the workpiece and the lower anvil, diameter so as to contact the thread sides adjacent the pitch dlaineter location. The lower wire, shown in Fig. 7 at as is held loosely in a spring ring 58 so that it can bodily in any lateral direction, to a limited extent. Thering Si) is preferably asingle arcuate strip .of spring metal of a diameter so that it can hold itself on the cylindrical outer surface of the anvil 2|, and is provided with upwardly extending and overturned ears El, the upwardly extending portion of 'the ears having horizontally elongated slots 62 permitting .freedom of movement of the wire 59 in all directions, to a'limited extent. The overturned portions 6! of the ears extend down opposite the ends of the wire and keep the wire the wires having a known move endwise and also molle from falling out of the ears. When the spring clamp 60 is applied to the lower anvil, the wire 59 rests fiat n the anvil and is free to be positioned by th threaded workpiece. The same kind of a spring holder 63 is attached to the upper anvil 32, and holds the upper wire 64. The positions of the slots in the spring holders is such that the upper wire is arranged to have freedom of movement from a normal position which is somewhat offset with respect to the normal position of the opposing wire, to an extent substantially equal to one-half of the lead of the thread.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A thread gauge comprising a base having a readily removable anvil block, a work anvil axially movable in said block, a gauge unit mounted on said base, a work operated member for oper ating said gauge unit, a pair of work carrying arms having centers adapted for engagement with opposite ends of a threaded workpiece, a shaft on which said arms are relatively adjustable to vary the spacing between said centers, means relatively fixing said arms against relative angular motion, said block providing a fixed bearing at one side of said work anvil in which said shaft is mounted for axial and rotational movement.

2. A thread gauge comprising a base having a readily removable anvil block, a work anvil axially movable in said block, a gauge unit adjustably mounted on said base for movement towards and from said work anvil, a work operated member for operating said gauge unit, means rotatably mounted in said block for quickly raising and lowering said work anvil, a pair of work carrying arms having centers adapted for engagement with opposite ends of a threaded workpiece, a shaft on which said arms are relatively adjustable to vary the spacing between said centers, means relatively fixing said arms against relative angular motion, said block providing a fixed bearing at one side of said work anvil in which said shaft is mounted for axial and rotational movement.

3. A thread gauge comprising a base, a column on said base, a gauge unit adjustably mounted on said column, a block removably fixed on said base and having a movable work anvil, said block having a post rigid therewith and arranged closely adjacent said column, said post providing a bearing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing and axially movable therein, a pair of work carrying arms on said shaft and relatively adjustable thereon to vary the spacing therebetween, said arms having work centers adapted for engagement with opposite ends of a threaded workpiece, a bar parallel to said shaft and spaced therefrom and engaging both of said arms to prevent relative angular movement thereof.

4. A thread gauge comprising a base, a column on said base, a gauge unit adjustably mounted on said column and having a work operated plunger, a block removably fixed on said base and having a movable work anvil, means carried by said block for quickly raising and lowering said anvil, said block having a post rigid therewith and arranged closely adjacent said column, said post providing a bearing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing and axially movable therein, a pair of work carrying arms on said shaft and relatively adjustable thereon to vary the spacing therebetween, said arms having work centers adapted for engagement with opposite ends of a threaded workpiece, and a bar parallel to said shaft and spaced therefrom and engaging both of said arms to prevent relative angular movement thereof.

WILLIS FAY ALLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Amplifying Gauge, circular of The North Side Tool Co., Dayton, Ohio, 4 pages, Jan. 1, 1924. 

